A San Diego Solar Takeover — Episode 206 of Local Energy Rules

Date: 27 Mar 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Dorrie Bruggemann and Bill Powers discuss how a publicly-owned San Diego electric utility would be more supportive of distributed solar, offer lower rates thanks to that solar, and what it will take to bring the municipalization decision to voters.… Read More

The 2024 Community Power Scorecard

Date: 20 Mar 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Communities can do a lot to advance energy democracy, but some tools must be granted by state policy. This annual scorecard from ILSR’s Energy Democracy Initiative surveys a suite of 18 policies that help or hinder local clean energy action.… Read More

Smarter Rules for Smart Meters — Episode 204 of Local Energy Rules

Date: 28 Feb 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Michael Murray explains the many capabilities of smart meters, his critique of a Rhode Island utility proposal to expand advanced metering, and how state and federal regulators can establish best practices for fairness and data access.… Read More

Why Utility Execs Hate Distributed Solar

Date: 21 Feb 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In this 30 minute presentation to the Just Solar Coalition, Timothy Den-Herder Thomas and John Farrell explain the benefits of distributed solar, why utility companies try to stifle it, and how this conflict has reared its ugly head in Minnesota.… Read More

The Concrete Benefits of Virtual Power Plants — Episode 203 of Local Energy Rules

Date: 14 Feb 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Chris Rauscher explains the benefits of coordinating distributed energy resources, how residential solar and storage customers have saved their neighbors from blackouts, and why every utility could be offering a virtual power plant program.… Read More

10 Years of Minnesota’s Community Solar Program — Episode 202 of Local Energy Rules

Date: 31 Jan 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Pouya Najmaie discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Minnesota’s community solar program, its many regulatory and legislative changes over the years, and how utility Xcel Energy has found a new way to try to suppress distributed generation.… Read More

Self-Determination Can Save the Energy System

Date: 24 Jan 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In this 15 minute presentation for The Solutions Summit 2023, John Farrell makes the case for self-determination over the energy system. Instead of tolerating costly energy monopolies, states and cities can empower communities and harness the benefits of local ownership.… Read More

Petitioners Ask Feds to Investigate Utility Abuses of Monopoly Power — Episode 201 of Local Energy Rules

Date: 17 Jan 2024 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In this episode from the archive, Howard Crystal and Liz Veazey discuss a petition to the Federal Trade Commission and why electric utility practices require federal investigation. ILSR first published this interview in June of 2022.… Read More

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